Books

Beowulf

The eponymous character bails Hrothgar out of his trouble with Grendel. Grendel’s mom comes back at him swinging hard, but all Beowulf does is win, so they make him king. Much later, old man Beowulf dies fighting a dragon, though team Beowulf eventually secures the W. 

It’s a bedrock story, the mythical foundation on which a lot of our modern fantasy rests. It’s also surprisingly palatable for modern audiences. Lindy for good reason. 

The story is compelling enough that you don’t need to burn too many calories finding the ideal translation. It’s also pretty short, so it’s not like you’re making a huge commitment. 

It reminded me of the Rohan scenes in LOTR. If you like fantasy or mythology, you should read it.

Les Miserables

Victor Hugo mixes a load of rambling pseudo philosophical musings into a sprawling myriad of stories centered around Jean Valjean. 

No matter how much you love the musical, don’t try to read this on that alone. It’d be a bit like trying to read the bible because of an affinity for Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” 

And don’t read it for the second hand philosophy. It’s poorly done, and you could read the key works of Rousseau, Kant, and Voltaire in the time it takes to read this book. 

Read it because it’s so deeply imbued with love and sympathy for humankind. Hugo is a rare masterful student of human nature who looks hard, sees clearly, and finds a way to be charmed. 

The tenderness with which he handles the joys, pains, and motivations of his characters is stunning. He is sanctimonious about The Poor, but otherwise it’s one of the most complete and accurate expressions of the human experience. 

One star as political philosophy. Five stars as a story about people. Three stars.